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Puttur: Commerce ministry is working on separate packages for commodities and spices given that their growers are facing problems. Spices, coffee, tea growers are facing hard times due to market conditions and packages – nature of which will be announced shortly – will help the respective growers, union commerce and industry minister Suresh P Prabhu, said. Ministry is also working on bringing out a policy for rubber, he noted.
Inaugurating the new amenities building of Campco Ltd at its chocolate factory and unveiling the bust of Varanashi Subraya Bhat, founder this multi-state cooperative on Sunday, Prabhu said he has already given the order to the ministry officials to formulate the policy on rubber. “We will work with rubber growing states such as Karnataka and Kerala and ensure that the policy will help the growers overcome productivity related issues,” he noted.
Averring that 2/3rds of Indian economy is dependent on agriculture and allied activities, the minister said India cannot hope to prosper without farmers and face a situation of economic paralysis without their welfare. To tide over this, the ministry is also working on its maiden initiative to bring out an agriculture-export policy that will provide linkages to the growers directly with their overseas buyers and help farmers circumvent the middlemen totally, he said.
Hailing the role of Campco, a co-operative, Prabhu said it is such institutions that should take the role in helping farmers do value addition that can provide them supplemental income.
With local economies intertwined with global economies, it is imperative for institutions such as Campco to become the medium that will help farmers get remunerative prices for their various products and also by way of setting up agro-processing units, Prabhu noted.
Jyotindra Bhai Mehta, national president, Sahakara Bharathi urged the minister to set up an exclusive Agriculture Chamber of Commerce to deal with the problems that are specific to the agriculture sector that is plagued with uncertainty.
“We do not need financial but policy support that will ensure that Indian farmers get remunerative prices for products grown and do not suffer due to cheaper imports in an era of global competition,” he noted.
S R Sathishchandra, president, Campco in his presidential remarks lauding the vision of the founder said the board has given the nod to deal with coconut and cashew nut in addition to cocoa, rubber and pepper. Earlier, Nalin Kumar Kateel, DK MP laid the foundation stone for Campco’s proposed multi-product godown at Kavu. Shakuntala T Shetty, MLA released the co-operatives new range of premium chocolates on this occasion.
